Hyderabad: Senior BJP leader Gudur Narayana Reddy on Saturday, October 31, demanded a comprehensive white paper on disputed government lands across Telangana. He urged the Congress government to disclose their extent, market value, legal status and pending court cases.
Citing the Supreme Court’s October 29 judgment in the Miyapur land dispute, he called for a statewide review of government properties facing litigation. In a media statement, Narayana Reddy said the verdict upholding government ownership of approximately 550 acres in Miyapur highlighted the scale of prolonged land disputes.
“The Miyapur case demonstrates both the enormous value of public land and the consequences of litigation continuing for decades. If a single dispute involves land worth thousands of crores, the people have every right to know how much more government property remains entangled in court cases and what steps are being taken to resolve them,” he said.
BJP seeks details of disputed government lands after Miyapur verdict
The Miyapur dispute concerned 550 acres and 39 guntas in Survey Nos. 100 and 101 of Miyapur village. The property falls under Serilingampally mandal in Rangareddy district. Historical revenue records classified the property as government poramboke land. However, competing ownership claims resulted in litigation lasting several decades.
The then Andhra Pradesh High Court upheld government ownership in 2003. Subsequently, appeals filed by private claimants remained before the Supreme Court for more than two decades.
Different estimates placed the property’s market value between Rs 25,000 crore and Rs 50,000 crore. Narayana Reddy said the Miyapur verdict should prompt the government to examine similar disputes across Telangana.
Hyderabad land disputes raise concerns
Referring to a recent review by the Hyderabad District Collector, the BJP leader cited 238 cases involving approximately 12 lakh square yards of government land.
He said Hyderabad district had a total government land bank of 21.74 lakh square yards. Therefore, more than half of that land was reportedly involved in litigation. Shaikpet mandal accounted for the highest number of disputes, with approximately 50 cases.
Additionally, Narayana Reddy cited nearly 7,000 pending cases concerning Revenue Department matters and Section 22-A prohibited property lists. Most of these cases were pending before the High Court, he said.
He also referred to approximately 5,500 disputes involving the Waqf Board across different judicial forums. According to the BJP leader, high-value land disputes continued in Kancha Gachibowli, Kukatpally and Manchirevula.
Narayana Reddy demanded district-wise information covering every government property involved in litigation. He sought survey numbers, land extent, the year each dispute began and details of the courts or tribunals hearing the cases.
The proposed white paper should also specify the current stage of proceedings, interim orders and estimated market value of each property. Furthermore, he demanded information about measures taken to expedite litigation and prevent encroachments.
“Government land is public wealth, not the private property of any political party or individual. When valuable lands remain locked in litigation for decades, the State loses opportunities to utilise them for housing, infrastructure, educational institutions and welfare programmes. The government must explain what it is doing to safeguard these assets,” he said.
The BJP leader also sought disclosure of cases involving alleged transfers, registrations or mutations of disputed government properties in favour of private parties. He demanded details of departmental proceedings and criminal action initiated against officials or others allegedly responsible for such irregularities.
BJP questions claims of protecting land worth Rs 1.5 lakh crore
Narayana Reddy referred to Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy’s recent claim that the government had protected public properties worth approximately Rs 1.5 lakh crore through legal action.
The Chief Minister’s claim covered properties in Miyapur, Kancha Gachibowli, Mamidipally and Manchirevula. However, Narayana Reddy said the government must also disclose the value of properties that remained under litigation.
“If the government claims to have protected lands worth Rs 1.5 lakh crore, it should also disclose the value of government lands still under litigation. How many cases have been pending for more than 10 or 20 years? How many properties remain vulnerable to encroachment? The people deserve clear answers,” he said.
He linked the issue to concerns previously raised by the BJP regarding Section 22-A prohibited property lists. These concerns included discrepancies in land records under the Dharani and Bhu Bharati systems and allegations of irregular transfers.
Separate monitoring mechanism demanded
Narayana Reddy called for a dedicated monitoring mechanism to protect disputed government lands from encroachments and manipulation of revenue records. He urged the Revenue Department to establish a consolidated database covering government properties involved in court proceedings.
The department should also regularly review pending litigation and identify cases requiring immediate attention, he said. Moreover, he demanded a fixed deadline for preparing the white paper.
The government should table the document in the Legislative Assembly or publish it on an official website for public scrutiny.
“Protecting government land cannot be limited to announcing court victories or making claims about recovered properties. The real test of accountability is whether the government is prepared to disclose the complete picture of public lands, including those still under dispute,” he said.
Narayana Reddy asserted that the BJP would continue demanding transparency and accountability in protecting public assets.